Vampire Slayers- A Dance with Devils FanFiction
by Enchanted Mask
Summary: A new Ritsuka. A new story. A new timeline. When the mother of Ritsuka and Lindo Tachibana, both secret Vampire Slayers, goes missing, can the pair unravel the mystery? Story includes explicit language, dark themes, and Devils (duh). A romance of Lindo X Ritsuka, with a complete re-write of Ritsuka's character. I hope "Vampire Slayers" becomes a story of mystery and drama, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Student Council President

**(Let's start this Story!)**

Ritsuka Tachibana sat up in her bed. It was 5:00am. She got up and did a few stretches, her yawn being the only sound in the quiet house. Normally she would be home with her mother, and her beloved step-brother, Lindo, but all had changed. From about a week ago, their only parent had mysteriously disappeared, after Ritsuka had watched their house be ransacked by 3 masked individuals, and they took her mother with them. That was the same day that the mysterious Student-Council president had told her to come to the school's library on the 3rd floor. She could still feel his frosted turquoise eyes burning into her mind.

 **(Scene-Change)**

The Library was vast, and lit dimly with a long table down the center and a desk far behind. There sat "the Great Rem", the heir to the Kaganuki Fortune. He was even more handsome than she imagined, but Ritsuka knew better than to start getting dippy over a silly little group of boys with titles like "The Great…". True, Ritsuka had little to no similarities with him, apart from being gorgeous _and_ smart. She had a wild mane of dark hair that curled past her shoulders, piercing amber eyes and a slim build. She may have been small, but she was a force to be reckoned with, and was known for her hot temper, her sharp tongue, and her excellent swordsmanship.

"Ritsuka Tachibana?", the Student Council President had looked coldly down at her from his golden, engraved desk.

"That is my name", she remembered scowling up at him.

"Rem Kaganuki, President of Shikou Academy's Student Council; glad you were able to meet with us". Ritsuka glared right at him as he got up, as she had better things to do with her time than to be lectured for skipping Geography again.

"Though I wish it were under better circumstances, we have received word that you have been violating school policies". Her anger simmered to the surface, and she immediately decided to deny whatever "rules" she had broken just to piss off this stupid, stuffy President.

"I haven't done shit! You must be hearing about someone else, there are tons of girls called 'Rika' at this school"

"Yet this note says otherwise", he produced a piece of paper from the pocket of his blue-velvet jacket.

"You deny it?"

"You bet I do! I haven't broken a single school rule in my entire life! Who wrote that note anyway, and what does it say I did!?" she yelled angrily, her fists clenched. The other school council members looked at her in awe, as if they had never seen a girl talk back to their leader before, and they were watching eagerly to see what he would do in retaliation. Rem merely glared at her for the first time and commanded,

"I will be the one asking the questions, understand?", he crossed the room and stood in front of her. Ritsuka noticed their height difference; she was small but undoubtedly fierce, and Rem contrasted as a tall, cold and imposing figure.

"Oh, you will, will you?", she folded her arms defiantly and glowered up at him.

"Watch out, this one bites back! She's got a mind of her own" a snide voice came from the other side of the room. A strawberry-blonde council member was gazing at her intently, while another very tough, very muscular white-blonde member put his fists together as if he was ready for a fight (Ritsuka was MORE than ready for that) and exclaimed "This got interesting!". The final member was a boy with inky-black hair, pale skin and blood-orange eyes that widened in sick wonderment at her. He spoke in a slithery, creepy tone, "Not to mention exciting!", his eyes leered at her. Ritsuka reached inside her sleeve to hold onto one of her blades (she always kept a throwing knife handy in case of a Vampiric encounter) when Rem began looking at her…intensely and started to speak to her in a different manner.

"You're very intriguing. You're not like the other girls, are you?"

She was startled, to say the least. Nobody had ever dared talk to her in such a patronizing and suggestive tone, most people at school usually avoided her, thinking she was odd and aggressive. She took a step back in shock. He stood still, like a cold statue. She stared into his eyes with slight fear, and soon became _hypnotized_. Her eyes became dull and heavy, she couldn't move, let alone look away and began to sway a little. Rem carelessly dropped the paper, revealing it to have been blank all along. He stepped closer to the girl, and ensured she was in his illusion. He reached out and touched her chin, moving it slightly and then went behind her to whisper in her ear something that he knew she couldn't (or at least wasn't supposed to) hear:

 _"_ _To tell you the truth, I only had you summoned here for my own selfish curiosity"_

He then wrapped his arm around her waist, and leaned in to kiss her. After he claimed her kiss, the Grimoire would become his and he would be able to make his mission a success.

It would be all too _easy_

Suddenly, a flash of blinding light struck him and the other devils backwards, and broke her trance. With a lingering instinct, the sliced her knife through the air where the President had been standing. She looked around, confused. Her head shook with nausea. She looked up to see that everyone in the room had their eyes on her. The room felt small, and her face felt warm. She wanted to leave right NOW.

"If that's everything, then I'll be leaving", and sauntered off, albeit a little shaky from her recent hypnotism. She pushed open the hefty door and slid down the staircase on the rails. Before leaving the wing entirely, she had cast one final, skeptical look at the room she had just left behind.

"It's certainly been an interesting afternoon" she thought to herself, making her way out to one of the massive school's corridors. She then had spied her best friend, Azuna, at the bottom of one of the school stairwell. She could recognize those blonde pigtails anywhere.

"Hey! How was the meeting with the Great Rem? Is he even more gorgeous in person?" she had giggled.

There had been something about him, as well as all of the Student Council members. They were all so…supernatural. When she had told this to Lindo, it had given him quite a lot of concern. See, Lindo was her step-brother, from her Mother's first marriage, and his Father left them when Lindo was only small. Her Mother then re-married, and had Ritsuka, but then her Father died and the 3 of them were left. Or at least, so she was told.

"But, _whatever!_ "

Ritsuka didn't care that she was part of a single-parent family. She loved her fun best-friend, her doting writer mother, and she loved her cool and caring brother. She knew she was a rule-breaker, and she lived for it. No teacher had ever managed to control her, nor any youth-counselor guide her. She loved her wild ways, and would not change them for anyone. Not even her older brother who adored her.

Only one single teacher did Ritsuka feel regret for. In elementary school, Ms. Kobayka, a pretty young woman with a soft voice, was tasked to try and help the defiant girl stop her trouble-making. Ritsuka found herself spending many afternoon's in the teacher's office, for one crime after the next: skipping class, stealing, getting into fights, etc. But no matter how rude or defiant she had been, Ms. Kobayka had never raised her voice, never punished, and never spoke harshly to her. The only thing she ever did was ask Ritsuka about why she behaved like she did.

"So why did you strike Elika, Ritsuka?" Ms. Kobayka asked. The young girl sitting in front of her silently thought to herself.

"Because _she_ said Kirie's nose looked like a pig's snout!"

"And did that upset you?". The question startled Ritsuka, never been asked this before.

"…no". She looked at the floor, not wanting to meet the kindly counselor's eyes.

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because! Because…." In truth, she was confused. Why _had_ she done it? Elika was a bit of a brat. And Kirie was her friend; a quiet, shy girl who didn't have enough strength to look after herself. She told this to Ms. Kobayka, who listened in interest.

"But is it your responsibility? Of course, it is good to stick up for the people you care about. But in this case, you merely struck Elika, making her nose bleed, and didn't state a reason".

"But I was only trying to help- ", Ritsuka opened her mouth to interrupt, but the counsellor raised a single hand to shush her.

This had _never_ happened before.

"If you really want to help people, then you must do it in a way that does not make you violent. Violence is never the answer, Ritsuka. Even when you are at the angriest you can be, you should not strike someone. Do you understand?"

It had been an average afternoon, but that message had been stuck to her for years. "Helping" people, was what Ritsuka did now, as a Vampire Huntress. She and her beloved brother Lindo, had tracked down hidden cults of Vampires that were terrorizing the world for years, and put an end to their harm.

"How funny", she thought. The one thing Ms. Kobayka had told her to not do was what she did for a hobby now. The thought struck momentary guilt in her heart. Ms. Kobayka was the only one adult at any of her numerous schools who really seemed like she cared. Sure, she may have been the regular adult with a "I-want-to-kill-myself-boring" job who prayed for Friday and got drunk at the weekend and showed up to their cruddy job each Monday with a wicked hangover, but Ms. Kobayka seemed like she actually _listened_ to you. She seemed…different.

Just like that student-council President.

Ritsuka shook him from her thoughts, putting his icy-blue eyes in the back of her mind. She slumped back on to her rumpled bed and stared at her ceiling. Even though at this time she would like to go on an hour-long run about the town, and then make breakfast for her family, her world just didn't feel _safe_ anymore; and safety had always, _always_ been a big part of their family.


	2. Chapter 2: The Tachibana Vampire Slayers

**(Let's start this Chapter!)**

Ever since she was small, Ritsuka had not first learnt to read and write, but how to stay safe. And not the regular safety that most parents teach their children. As well as how to walk home safely, not talk to strangers, and what to do if you get lost, she was taught to defend herself from an early age, and when she was older she learnt how to extinguish a fire, disarm an attacker, and give first aid. The person who gave her these lessons was her grandfather. He told Lindo and her everything he knew, and that didn't just include safety. Her grandfather was a researcher of the supernatural, and so she learnt everything he knew. Spells and charms against evil were _waaay_ more interesting to her than multiplication, or even her most hated subject, _geography_.

Ritsuka didn't mind knowing how to read maps, and such, being a very observant person, she understood why it was important if one became lost in a strange area, but it was the topics such as coastal erosion, and how the land changed through time, and all the different countries and capital city names that bored her to death. Learning to fight was what she personally found more fun and enjoyable, and more important, and she would defend her belief's when her mother would say "Ritsuka, you need to learn mathematics! Even if we have to give you a private tutor!", and the defiant little girl would say back "But mom! Why do I need to learn to add numbers if I can't even stop someone from kidnapping me?"

Ritsuka grew up with a vast interest, of literature and poetry from her mother, but with adventure and excitement of travelling and fighting that her grandfather bestowed upon her. Which was why she spent most of her spare time at her grandpa's house, learning how to aim a throwing star in the middle a target instead of practicing her spelling. Their mother had always said it was a waste of talent, what was the purpose of training her to be a killer if she could instead make rather beautiful poetry? She was torn. Two paths she both wanted, and the tear lasted long with Ritsuka. Lindo said she was lucky to choose, he had always been taught how to fight and protect his family and wasn't given much time to himself, for a reason Ritsuka never knew why.

Her brother was a big part of Ritsuka's life. Both of them had been inseparable since toddlers. He was her big brother, her savior, her best friend, her guardian, and her partner in Vampire-Hunting. Lindo always had a soft-spot for Ritsuka. Whenever she was sad, he would go to great lengths to make her laugh, and there was nothing that he would not do for her. When their grand-papa had told them about the sacred, forbidden Grimoire, and how it could never fall into darkness, both of them had jumped at the chance to protect it. And when their grandfather died, with his last few words whispered in Lindo's ears, both still swore to keep it safe, although Ritsuka did not know where it was. The pair chose to stop the threat of the Vampires first, and then they would find out where it was. So, every month, for four days of "study-leave" they would travel to new locations and investigate supposed Vampiric activity.

 **(Scene-Change)**

When Ritsuka opened her eyes, the room was brighter than usual. Immediately, she sensed that someone was in the room with her. Jumping to her feet, and reaching for her silver rapier, she swung it at the intruder. The blade clashed against metal, as Ritsuka became eye-level with Lindo. He had blocked her sword with his metal knuckle-dusters, his weapon of choice. The metal gloves had thick blades that unsheathed with a mechanical lock in the palm of the user's hand. Grandpapa had designed it himself specially for Lindo, but had passed down his own sword to Ritsuka, who now pulled her beloved weapon back and laid it carefully into its case, before turning to her brother. He was wearing the frilly apron she had to cook food in. The very sight of him in it, with his blades on his hands and the pale peppermint green smock at the front made a smile crack.

"What in god's name are you wearing?" she burst out laughing.

"You usually make breakfast, so I thought I would do it for you today", he grinned back.

"That's very nice of you, but just because you get to go to a fancy English school for a few months doesn't mean you get to swipe my apron!". Although in reality, she didn't care much for the apron, finding it's frills too childish. But she always wore it for her mother, who got it for her two Christmas Eves ago as a gift. "Anyway, what do you want?", she asked.

"I don't know…you to get up, maybe?". He gestured to the alarm clock on her bedside table. The small cat clock amongst her white and lilac bedroom. The small cat clock that read 06:12am.

"SHIT!", she scrambled across her room, threw open her wardrobe and dug out her uniform amongst the stuffed animals and other boxes of junk in there.

"Since when did you care about being late for school?" he called, putting back the blankets on her bed.

"Since Azuna told me that we can look for info on…." She cut off. She let the school skirt that she had previously been holding fall from her hands, as she stood motionless. Lindo came behind her, to question her sudden silence. He saw one small tear run down her cheek. He caught it with his index finger, and wrapped her in a big hug.

"Hey…I miss her too".

Ritsuka had been hit with paranoia since their mother had gone missing. She had questioned everyone who knew them, relatives, neighbours, even her mother's work friends, but no one had seen or heard from Maria Tachibana in 5 weeks. At first Ritsuka had been angry ("Whoever did this will pay! I'll cut of their ears and beat them to a bloody PULP if anything happens to her!"), but soon she started to blame herself.

"Maybe…if we didn't do what we do, maybe…. Mom would still be here! Maybe it's my fault!" she cried out. Lindo stepped down to her eye-level, and said,

"Don't think of that! You haven't done anything wrong, Ritsuka. Please, you must try to understand"

"Understand what!? What if this is all revenge for what we have been doing, by stopping those Vampires! Maybe they're doing this to us as revenge. They stole her to get back at us for everything we've done. And for what? What did we do it for!? Just for some make-believe book, that is the supposed key to ultimate power?"

She still remembered that day like it was yesterday. It had haunted her for the past month, although she had mostly been too busy with…. _him_ , to dwell on the past. After Maria had disappeared, Ritsuka had called Lindo who tried to get home right away. She was meant to stay with Azuna until Lindo got there, but it never happened. The same people who took their mother, the dark men in masks, had faced her in a darkened street. No matter how good a fighter she was, Ritsuka was outnumbered. Luckily, the student council president had been there in the right place at the right time, and with supreme fighting skills (skills that had left Ritsuka fully impressed and in awe) had sent the group into the shadows and away. She then spent the rest of her time with Rem, journeying to her Grandfather's old house, being confronted by the same mysterious group, and then finally finding Lindo waiting for her. It had been a hectic time, to say the least, but she was glad to be back home with her brother.

"Ritsuka, I know this is hard for you, but when we swore to do what we do now, we swore to protect the Grimoire! You have no idea how important it is, but even though we don't know where it is, we must at least keep the Vampires from it!" Lindo spoke softly to her, as she sobbed into the apron.

"Sorry, I'm making you all wet" she sniffed. Then, realized what she said and began to laugh, with Lindo joining her. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner? You didn't even need to come in, you could have just knocked", she asked, looking up at his soft, sky-blue eyes.

"Your snoring _drowned out_ my knocking!" he winked at her and tweaked her nose. She gave him a playful shove.

"I don't SNORE!"

"Come on, your breakfast is getting cold" he called as he opened the door. As her brother began to slide it shut, he pulled one of his goofy faces at her. It was one from her childhood, one he did to make her laugh when she was little.

"Get out of my room!" she laughed and threw a soft panda at him, He quickly slid the canvas shut and the toy animal bounced off the door and into the middle of her carpet.

 _"_ _I have way too many of these"_ , she thought as she placed the panda amongst the small pile of other stuffed animals in her room. Despite her cold appearance and tough exterior, she loved all things cute and fluffy, giving her bedroom pastel colours and fluffy rugs, with many cat-themed objects about the room. Ritsuka grabbed her uniform and finished changing. The uniform was a royal red skirt with gold embroidery, with a matching short blazer, and brown ballet pumps. She pulled up thigh-high black stockings, and tied up the ribbon bow-tie round her white blouse. Ritsuka thought that the uniform looked a bit stupid, with more dreaded frills, but she found that she had to wear it, and tailored her own to relieve some of the material from the ruffles that she hated so much.

The schoolgirl slid back her bedroom door and sat down at the breakfast table, grabbing a piece of toast and accepted a cup from her brother, who was still, much to her dismay, was wearing the detested apron. _"I'm going to burn that apron someday"_ , as she made a mental note to hide it under her bed and make sure it could never be found again. She picked up the cup in front of her and sniffed it.

"Damn, this smells amazing! What did you put in it?"

"It's Royal-milk tea" Lindo replied breezily as he sat down next to her. "Oh, and by the way?"

"Yeah?", she said through a mouthful of toast.

"Change out of your uniform when you're finished", he said, taking a sip out of his own cup. Ritsuka looked at him oddly. She had never heard him talk like that before, he sounded so…serious.

"What? Why would I do that?"

"I think it's best if you stay at home, take some time off. With all the recent…events, I don't think it's safe for you to leave the house". He paused, staring into the dregs of his teacup.

"Lindo" she stood up from the table. "I can take care of myself, I'm not a kid anymore. And anyway, me and Azuna are trying to find out information on the symbol we saw on that stranger's coat. The guy that was here when our house was broken into? The same creep in the alleyway and at Grandpa's house?". He made no response.

"You know what I'm talking about, when I was with Rem". She noticed her brother move, almost flinch, when she said "Rem".

"And another thing, as I have said over and _over_ again, _stay away_ from Rem Kaganuki" his voice was cold and clear, not warm like usual. She began to get a little irritated at him for being so prickly.

"And as _I_ have said over and over, why should I? You just don't understand how much he has done; he saved me in the alleyway, he helped me try to find out why those guys were at our house and he gave me somewhere to stay while you were in England". Suddenly, a brilliant idea came into Ritsuka's head, one that would annoy Lindo and hopefully get him to tell her more.

"He was there when you weren't" she hastily added. She looked at her brother, who was now facing her with a clearly-vexed look on his face.

"Jeez Lindo, are you jealous?" She pulled a shocked expression. He glared at her a bit.

"Of course not. I'm only telling you to stay away from Rem because I know that he is trouble".

"Or, you're upset because Rem was here to help me find the Grimoire and you were stuck in England" she smirked. He gave a cold stare.

"You're being ridiculous". But as seconds passed, Lindo cracked a smile and began to grin along with Ritsuka.

"Okay, maybe I am a bit annoyed that you went off without me", he smiled at her, his irritation melting away. "But I'm being serious now, don't trust him. I doubt he has the honorable intentions that he appears to have". Ritsuka rolled her eyes at him. "I'm really serious! We can't trust him. Protecting the Grimoire is our job and our job alone, he shouldn't be involved, concerned, or even aware of what it is!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Garden Gala

**(Let's start this Chapter!)**

Ritsuka stepped out of the house, the cool morning air sending chills over her face and neck. She slipped on her gardening shoes and made her way across the wooden deck and to her Mother's herb garden. She tended the plants, making sure they all were kept in prime condition. The garden was one of the few things her Mother had left. She looked up at the gate, shielding her eyes from the sun. Lindo had left her alone at home for a while, he'd been gone for half an hour, saying he had to "take care of something". Obviously, she made sure to take note of how long he'd be gone, ensuring he wasn't sneaking off on a quick mission without her.

A terrifying screech of rubber and a woman's scream made her jump to her feet. A car-crash for sure. She bolted to the gate, leapt over it with ease and scanned the street to see the damage done. Except…the was none to be found. The entire road was empty. The sun was shining, and no one was walking around although it was the middle of the day. Someone cleared their throat behind her, and she spun around to see a handsome boy in a white uniform, who she recognized as one of the student council members.

"Hi" he smiled cheerfully, showing a row of perfect white teeth.

"You're…Urie Sogami". It was more of a question than a statement.

"So, you do remember me", he presented a perfect red rose from mid-air, and offered it to her. She waved it away, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, you're on the Student Council. And you're kind of famous around school". His eyes became bright and his voice warm at her compliment.

"Well, you're famous enough to be recognized by an outsider like me. What are you doing at my house?" she questioned.

"You were not at school today. Rem was very concerned about you", he took a long smell of the flower he carried.

"Rem was…concerned about me?". She began to blush a little. Although she was used to many boys asking her out, she didn't expect to be favoured by the Student Council President, of all things.

 _"_ _You're getting distracted. Pay attention!"_ , a voice inside of her commanded.

"I'm sorry but I can't go to school right now. I have to…. look after my brother. He's very sick. I can't leave if I know he may need me", she lied quickly.

"Where is he then?"

"He's inside, getting rest". She didn't meet Urie's gaze.

"So you're stuck here then?" he inquired, his golden eyes scanning the house.

"I guess. Well, I'm afraid now isn't a good time to come in. Hope you have a nice day", she shrugged. It wasn't a complete lie.

 _"_ _I really am stuck here"_ , she thought as she began heading back inside the house.

"Oh! I have some news. About your Mother, in fact". Ritsuka turned and looked at him. He could practically see the keen interest.

"Rem wanted to tell you", he added cleverly.

"What did he find out!?" she looked desperately at Urie for answers, her soft grey eyes pleaded with him.

"Since it's not official I'm not sure I should say. You're welcome to come back with me and talk to him yourself". Ritsuka looked back at the house, then pulled out her phone and checked the time. Lindo had been gone for an hour, surely, he wouldn't miss her if she snuck out for a little? She could always lie and say she just went to a place where none of the neighbours would catch her smoking. She glanced down at her clothes; a panda hoodie, black shorts and sneakers.

"Yeah, let me lock up and I'll come" she fumbled with her house keys.

"What about your ' _sick'_ brother?". She whipped around. Urie didn't look at her, simply admired his rose. She gritted her teeth, making sure she didn't retaliate to his undeniable sarcasm.

"He'll survive without me. I'll be back within the hour" she glared at him.

"Let us go, then", he bowed. "Ladies first".

 **(Scene-Change)**

Once they had reached the school (in one of Urie's family's cars), Ritsuka pulled her hood up and tried to not draw attention to her unwanted, undesirable self. But it was more than a challenge when you're walking up the steps next to the school's heartthrob. Every time a girl screamed "URIE!", Ritsuka would cross one of her fingers. Although she found quickly that she was out of fingers, as practically half the school charged towards the boy accompanying her. They pushed her out the way, swarming around Urie like bees dressed in cream and red ruffles.

"You can just point me to where Rem is, I can go on without you", Ritsuka yelled above the clamouring of the crowd of girls. Urie immediately stopped paying attention to his groupies and made his way through the females. He held out his hand and smiled.

"I promised I would take you there myself, Miss Ritsuka Tachibana. And that is exactly what I will do! Excuse me, girls!", he began to push his way through the crowd, holding Ritsuka's hand and guiding her away with him.

 _"_ _Yes, make_ _sure_ _you say my full name so that everyone here can remember who stole your attention and make myself even more unpopular here",_ she thought. Exaggeration aside, Ritsuka wasn't exactly the most popular girl in the school; she was merely known as the beautiful rebel, who refuses most schoolwork, skips class on some days and didn't really talk to anyone apart from her small circle of friends. Most of the girls were jealous that she gained attention from a lot of guys, and so made their feelings known by ignoring her and talking about her behind her back.

Urie led her around the back of the school to a large greenhouse on the field. It was a huge dome made of glass, with the light from the setting sun catching on the glass and making it look like a huge disco ball sitting on the school grounds. He stepped forward and pulled open the doors, and gestured to her to follow him through the arch.

"Viola!" he exclaimed with a flick of his wrists. "Ladies first", he bowed politely. Ritsuka felt awkward. She didn't like it when boys acted gentlemanly; it gave her the idea that they thought she was incapable of doing things for herself. But then again, she hated people being ignorant and rude as well. She mentally sighed, acknowledging how stubborn and difficult she was. She hated feeling like a burden to the people around her.

Ritsuka shook her head from the clouds. She gave a weak smile of appreciation at Urie to make sure he knew his efforts weren't going unnoticed. She stepped through the arch, the warm air of the greenhouse hitting her in the face like a ton of bricks. It was so very hot and humid, she pulled her panda hoodie off and tied it around her waist with the sleeves. He began to walk down the pathway, so she quickly followed him.

 _"_ _The sooner I can talk to Rem, the sooner I can get home before Lindo finds out. I don't want him knowing that I left the house; he'll freak out. It's enough stress for him to have to stop his University course in England and come home to look after me"_. She stopped. _"I never realized how hard this must be for Lindo. He's putting his entire life on a halt because of what happened"_. She clenched her fists. _"I'll make them pay. Whoever did this to Mom, to_ _us_ _, will suffer greatly. Hopefully whatever Rem has to tell me will be helpful. It has to be, I can't sleep knowing that Mom's still missing"_. She looked at Urie. He was walking briskly down the stone walkway. She looked about, they passed palm trees, and other numerous exotic plants. "Why did Rem wanted to meet here?", she asked. He didn't turn around. He didn't reply.

"Urie…?"

Faint voices echoed throughout the greenhouse. They were singing, a massive group of voices singing in one chorus. But not like a choir at Christmas, more like a platoon of followers. Each sounded identical, creepily identical.

 _"_ _So, come, let's sing"_

"Urie, where are you taking me?", Ritsuka called out above the rising chants. A bright light blared out through the foliage.

 _"_ _Come, let's sing- it's a delightful party"_

The trees and bushes parted like magic; revealing a massive garden party.

 _"_ _This beautiful night will never end, and the party will go on forever"_

Ritsuka found herself standing in front of about 200 students, and nearly all of them were girls. There was a polished-marble gazebo in the center (elevated from the rest of the courtyard by stone steps leading up to it), surrounded by wrought-iron chairs and tables. There were many students, some were sitting at tables in groups, others were walking about, and most of the boys were sitting across the courtyard as an orchestra; each clutching a different instrument. But no matter where they sat in the large glass dome, all of them were wearing theatrical masquerade masks; red for the girls, blue for the boys.

All students turned to look at the girl who had just joined the event. Ritsuka watched in one quick swoop, all attention and eyes on her, making her reflexively grab at her hood to pull it up, only to find it still hanging at her waist. She went red, and the hot climate of the greenhouse didn't help in the matter. All the girls eyed Ritsuka, and gave her creepily wide smiles.

"Um, hello", she awkwardly mumbled. The students nodded at her, their smiles wide.

Urie stepped into the light.

 _"_ _You're here!"  
"Mr. Urie!"_

 _"_ _Get out of my way!"_

 _"_ _I saw him first!"_

There was a frenzy of squabbling and shoving, as all the girls raced towards Urie. None of them gave Ritsuka even a sideways glance. _"Good"_ , she thought. _"I like it that way"_. Ritsuka started to look about for Rem, but none of the boys in masks had his white-blonde hair and piercing eyes. "Maybe he wanted to meet here because he wanted to talk about something really secret and important", she suggested to herself. She looked into the Koi pond in front of the gazebo, and saw a girl standing behind her. Ritsuka turned around, face to face with the student. She didn't recognize her, and couldn't see her face well from underneath the red, pointed-nose mask. Ritsuka peered into the holes where the girl's eyes were, and stepped back in slight shock.

They were dead.

Her eyes were blank and expressionless, but the demented smile stretched onto her face made her entire appearance even more doll-like and disturbing. Ritsuka felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Urie standing in front of her. He held out his arm for her to take it.

"Shall we?", he smiled with a mischievous glow in his golden eyes. She wavered for a second, but let him lead her up the stairs to the private gazebo, where a plush chaise longue sat. Ritsuka looked back where the dead-eyed girl had been, but whoever she was had slunk back into the rest of the crowd; who were now _all_ looking at her and Urie again. She was motioned to sit down.

"Does Rem want to talk here?", she asked, making herself comfortable on the soft sofa. Urie made no sound, just stared at her intently with his gleaming eyes. Ritsuka and Urie locked gazes, and she felt she couldn't look away, she couldn't even move. He lent down to her height, not taking his eyes off her, and reached out and touched her cheek.

Under normal circumstances, Ritsuka would jump up, headbutt Urie and then trip him up before he could come after her, but she was completely paralyzed. Her head began to swim, and her mind became blank. Urie watched her with keen interest, as her eyes filed with the same dullness as the rest of his little butterflies. Those soft grey eyes became lifeless, meaningless, soulless, as he lent closer.

 _"_ _Don't worry, you're here with me, we're in my Garden of Eden now"_ , his hypnotic voice echoed throughout her head. Parting his lips a little, he closed in for the kill.

 _This was it. The Grimoire would become his_


	4. Chapter 4: A Devilish Encounter

Hello world! I am Enchanted Mask, and I hope you're enjoying this FanFiction as much as I am! I love _Dance with Devils_ , although I really wanted to change Ritsuka's character, because I found it pretty infuriating that she keeps wandering off every-time Lindo tells her to stay close to him, and she just keeps getting herself abducted for her poor brother to come and rescue her. I gave my Ritsuka a bit of an attitude, and the reason why she is such a trouble-maker will be revealed in a few more chapters!

I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, with exams and Christmas, it's pretty difficult to keep on writing when there's so much to do!

Trust me, it's pretty difficult being a writer and a singer at the same time XD People keep telling me to pick just one hobby, but screw that! You can do anything you want if you really put your mind to it, so I really want to try my hardest to produce quality content instead of quantity, which means it could honestly be between weeks or months in-between chapters, which I know isn't what many people want to hear. I hope you all read, follow, and review my work and tell me what you like and/or what you think could improve it (although I can't say I will follow every single recommendation, otherwise it wouldn't be _my_ stories!)

Love you all,

 _Enchanted Mask_

XOXO

 **(Let's start this Chapter!)**

A flash of glimmering golden light flashed out from underneath Ritsuka's white top, sending the massive shock-wave plummeting into the ground beneath their feet, sending all the possessed students flying backwards. The pendant, a circular gilded locket swung out, dangling in front of Urie's face almost mockingly; letting him know that _her_ , that the Grimoire, would never be his. He jumped back a little in surprise.

The first thing Ritsuka was aware of, was Urie's face dangerously close to hers, she had little to no time to react, so she resorted to the one thing she could think of. The slap made him stumble backwards, it was so strong. She glared at him, making her anger known.

"I didn't come here with you so we could make out in front of your creepy fan-club. I came here because I need to talk with Rem! So, before you try to make another move on me, just let me go and I'll leave you to your tea party!", she snapped. He glowered down at her. She felt a slight twinge of fear (did Slayers feel fear? They probably shouldn't do). A shrill voice yelled at her from across the vast hall made of glass.

"GET HER!". About 100 girls in masks began to charge towards her, which made her slightly wonder if her welcome was overstayed. She vaulted over the back wall of the marble gazebo, and raced down a stone pathway. Ritsuka used her senses from battling vampires to determine that there were dozens of footsteps clattering behind her. One of the doors to the exit was in sight, she just had to reach it in time.

With a running jump, she drop-kicked open the door and breathed in the cool fresh air; it was a relief after being stuck in that humid jungle for so long. She was free! Although her freedom was not to be celebrated soon, as the horde of masked girls were still following in close pursuit. She raced to the school, knowing that she could lose them in the maze of corridors and classrooms.

 **(Scene-Change)**

Azuna Kuzuha sat in her classroom, looking at her phone. It had been days since she last got a text from Ritsuka, to see how she was coping. _"I wonder if I should call her"_ , she thought whilst pushing a blonde strand of silky hair out of her eyes. _"Probably not, Lindo's keeping her home today. He said he just wants her to rest after everything"_ , she shrugged to herself.

"Oh my _GOD_! It's _the Great Rem_!", a girl's voice squealed from across the class. And sure enough, there stood the Student Council President.

"Hello", he said in a calm and polite manner. "I am looking for Miss Tachibana". Azuna's eyes widened.

"Ritsuka?"

"I haven't seen her"

"I wonder why someone like Rem is looking for someone like _her_ "

"Is she skipping class again? We don't have Geography today…"

Azuna pushed herself to the front of the group. "Oh, sorry but, Ritsuka's not at school today", she explained to him. "Is everything alright?"

 **(Scene-Change)**

Ritsuka stood hesitantly outside the Student Council Entrance. She looked down at herself. She had previously put back on her hoodie to try to disguise herself as one of the Upper-Classmen, who never had to wear school uniforms as they did special school courses, and were separate from the other students.

 _"_ _He'll probably give me a warning for showing up in non-uniform, but I need to know what's going on, and I need to know if Rem has found out anything important"_.

She was just about to knock at the door when it opened by itself. There stood a boy with sky-blue hair, dressed completely in blue. She didn't recognize him, in fact, she had never seen him before in her life; let alone the Student Council room.

"Oh, hi…. uh, is Rem here? I need to speak to him about something really important", she looked at the boy pleadingly. He stared back at her blankly, with no emotion about him whatsoever.

"Are you on the student council too? Do you know where Rem is?", she implored again. But instead of answering any of her questions, the boy in blue merely smirked and shut the door in her face. She felt a flash of anger.

"HEY!". She pulled the door's handle. It didn't budge. She hammered on the door with her fists, but it still wouldn't open. He must have locked it quickly from the inside. With one final kick, Ritsuka turned away; face to face with Rem himself.

"Rem, there you are! God, you wouldn't believe how long it's taken me to try and find you". He looked down at her, with a slightly confused expression as to why she had been searching for him. Ritsuka felt her face burning with embarrassment, hoping Rem hadn't just watched her try to kick in the door to his room.

"Do you need something?", he asked officially. She savoured his words, it had been long since she had heard them, and it felt good to be around someone who actually knew things, around someone who was very, to-the-point about things and who didn't make excessive fuss about stuff that didn't matter. When she was around Rem, she felt so sure of everything, and that was reassurance she hadn't had in a while.

"Urie told me, you found out something about my Mother?", he walked to the door of the Student Council's private library, without saying anything.

"You wanted to tell me what it was?", she pestered. He didn't reply. She looked at the back of his head, he seemed motionless.

"Rem, did you bring me here so you could help me? I don't understand why I was told that you needed to tell me something if you're just going to stand there and be silent". Ritsuka could feel her short-temper start to simmer again.

"Your brother hates me, that complicates things", he finally spoke. Her head spun.

"What, _Lindo_? Rem, I know he and you didn't start off very well, but he's just a bit over-protective of me" she tried to make him listen to her.

"If he is so protective, maybe you should get him to help you instead", he said coldly. "You shouldn't spend time with me anymore; I'm sorry, but I can't continue to offer you my help". The door to the Student Council library opened by itself, and he stepped through the doorway.

"Wait, if this is about my brother- ", the door closed and cut her off. She pulled the handle hard.

"Gnnhh…locked…again!?" she tried to make the handle budge but no matter how much she pounded on the door, it didn't open for her. A lump in her throat started to swell up, and a few tears of desperation pricked at her eyes. Rem was one of the last links she had to get her Mother back, and now that he was refusing to help her….

 **(Scene-Change)**

Rem watched the girl in the hoodie from his Owaine; it was a magical crystal-like ball that helped him view the school from inside the Student Council Library. Two tears rolled down her cheeks, but she brushed them away quickly, to prevent anyone from noticing she had been crying. Although no-one was around to notice her tears, as there were two hefty doors separating the third Library from the rest of the school corridors, and so she was on her own. She lent against the wall and shrunk down into a ball, sobbing silently.

Rem felt a twinge in his heart. He put his hand to his chest.

" _What was that?_ ", he thought to himself. He had never felt anything like it before, never anything so…forlorn. " _Why am I feeling this? I shouldn't care…_ ", he pondered to himself, while silently observing the girl sitting just outside the door to his vast room.

 **(Scene-Change)**

"Are you sure? She was just at the 3rd Library", Rem told Azuna. The girl's turquoise eyes widened.

"Wait, what!?", she gaped.

"Oh well", he shrugged his shoulders and made his way down the corridor; with the girls left in her class clamoring their goodbyes to him.

" _That can't be! I have to tell Lindo now_ ", she thought quickly as she whipped out her phone and began to frantically message her friend. " _He is SO going to freak if Ritsuka really has snuck out of the house. But why would she come to school, of all places?"_

Ritsuka made her way down the school corridor; making sure she stuck to the sides so she wouldn't be seen by any teachers or by her few friends. _"Well Rem, I'm no closer to finding answers"_ , she thought solemnly. Her recent tears had dried, and after the disappointment of being denied any information, she just wanted to go home.

 _"_ _I'll just grab my bag out of my locker, I left it there from the last day I was properly at school"_ , but as she bent down to enter the combination pin, she heard gossip from a group of girls standing nearby.

"The Student-Council _President_?", one such girl clamoured.

"That's what I heard", another assured the group.

"Why is it _her_ , of all people?", a brunette whispered to her friend in a stingy tone.

"Whatever, let's get on it". Ritsuka made sure her face was at least half-covered, and spoke loudly without looking at them,

"Did you just say something about the Student Council President?". The group fell silent, so she turned to look at them. They didn't seem to recognise her, so she persisted with her question.

"Yeah, he's been asking around about some girl", the sour-faced brunette replied, crossing her arms and pouting profusely.

"Who is she?". _Another_ girl pushed herself to the front of the group.

"Something like, Tachibana…?"

"Right, I think it's…. Rika?"

"That's right! She was in trouble recently!"

"That's no surprise, she's always in trouble, but the Student Council President never seemed to give a damn about her breaking rules until _now_ ", the brunette sulked to herself. A perky blonde girl faced Ritsuka, "If we bring him to the President, _we'll_ become his new favourites!"

"Hey, are you in?". The all faced Ritsuka. She shrugged as if she didn't care.

"Nah, it's a long shot, you guys", she turned and faced her padlock, as if it was more important than their conversation. "Whatever, your loss", one of the girls remarked. Ritsuka turned and called out to them as they walked down the hallway. "But if you're looking for Rem, I heard he's in the Greenhouse on the School grounds". The group charged off, leaving her alone in the corridor to smirk a little, at knowing they wouldn't find Rem there.

 _"That's odd, what could he want from me?"_ , she thought, grabbing her school backpack and heading in the other direction. The day had been a complete wash-out, she just wanted to grab one of the buses before they left and head home; realizing that Lindo must be knowing that she was missing by now. She pulled out her phone, and began to text a message to Lindo when a figure jumped out at her.

"Rem…?". He stood towering in front of her, a little eerily so. She took another look at his face.

"Oh my god, you're…. smiling". It was so un-Rem-like, he usually communicated with hard stares and cold glances.

"Miss Tachibana, I have some sensitive information to discuss with you", he bowed a little. She was confused and a little freaked out.

"Why couldn't you tell me sooner? Back at the library?", she folded her arms and glared at him, but it only made his smile a little wider.

"I had to ensure the other student council members didn't overhear our conversation". Ritsuka looked at him questioningly, he didn't appear to be lying, just smiling in a very odd manner. "Riiight…well, what did you want to tell me?", she began to get impatient. She had been waiting to talk _all day_ and after shutting the door in her face, now he wanted to talk, when it was convenient for _him_.

 _"_ _All guys are the same, silly, ignorant little boys who just waste your time. I feel like an idiot for actually thinking Rem was different. Hah, yeah_ _right_ _. 'The Great Rem' is just another self-absorbed asshole that I don't need to waste my life on. The only boy I know who really understands is Lindo"_

Ritsuka felt a twinge of guilt and regret; she knew he'd be worried sick about where she was, and she feel bad about betraying his trust like this. _"Well, it's not like I'm unarmed"_ , she felt her back pocket, and made sure she knew it was there. Her sword. It wasn't desperately heavy (although it was currently folded up and compacted in a small case), but it hid well in her blazer pocket when she was at school. In fact, she never left the house without it, and she was glad she didn't today.

The rapier wasn't desperately long, but it did have a special mechanism Grandpa himself had made. With the snap of the lock inside the handle, it could fold up into a small pen-sized blade, but when the lock was released, it became a long silver sword, that had decapitated many vampires in its lifetime.

"So? What did you want to tell me?", she repeated herself to him. He looked around, lent close to her and whispered, "Not here". Rem grabbed her hand and began to run down the corridor. She threw herself from his grip and hissed, "I can follow you fine by _myself_! I'm not going to wonder off anywhere!". Although saying and doing are totally different things, Ritsuka soon found out, because following Rem through the school crowds proved to be surprisingly difficult. He kept changing routes, swerving and shoving through the throng of students. Ritsuka's hood fell away, exposing her face.

Many gaped in amazement at seeing the Student Council President and the school's notorious Rebel race through the vast building. Just when Ritsuka caught up to Rem, he would go in another direction, it seemed like he was almost trying to throw her off or something to that extent. As she passed by groups of people, she could hear little snippets of conversation,

"Is that Ritsuka Tachibana?

"You mean the one who got sent to the Student Council the other day?"

"Oh look, there's _Rem Kaginuki_! Isn't he gorgeous!?"

Ritsuka spotted the group of girls who had been looking to snitch her out to Rem earlier. They all gaped, open mouthed at realizing she had deceived them so effortlessly. She smirked as she went by, and stuck out her middle finger to them with a mischievous gleam in her grey eyes.

 **(Scene-Change)**

Azuna searched about the school grounds, hearing that Ritsuka had been seen with one of the Student Council members, Urie Sogami, previously that afternoon. She glanced at her phone. The clock read "14:56pm". In just over 30 mins class would be over and the school would start to get empty. They had to find Ritsuka before then, otherwise those Devils could do _anything_ to her with no one around to notice or try to stop them.

"RITSUKA! Ritsuka, _where_ are you!?". She heard Lindo's desperate cries from behind her as he raced up to the blonde girl.

"Anything?", he panted.

"Not yet". She saw him glance at the ground, with a downcast look of failure in his brilliant blue eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll keep looking around here", she reassured him. Lindo watched her walk away back to the school, to search about inside. He held onto his silver Rosary, and with the magic he already possessed, he seized a stick on the ground and began to chant a spell.

 _"_ _Show me the way. What once was lost, must now be found"_

The stick fell into a direction, it pointed towards the western wings of the School, where the old cellars, were kept. Only a few dusty old books remained in those dreary vaults. Lindo sprinted off in that direction. _"I must find her, I will never be able to forgive myself if I fail her"_ , his mind raced with the thought of what would happen to Ritsuka if he couldn't find her in time. He imagined what must be happening to her, she could be tied up, _unconscious_ , only heaven knows what could become of his beloved.

 **(Scene-Change)**

Rem sat at his desk. He looked over to the sofa across the Student Council's Library, but he noticed that, very oddly, Loewen was nowhere in sight. This immediately made him suspicious, because trouble was to be found every time the little Pomeranian _wasn't_ snoring soundly in the 3rd Library. He got up and headed to the door, the clock above read "15:03pm". Wherever he was, Loewen was in undeniable trouble for walking about during the day for Shikou students to see him.

Rem opened the door to the 3rd Library, and was about to find his subordinate, when he could _sense_ it. Traces of faint magic were trickling out from somewhere in the school. The president gritted his teeth. The members of the student council knew that magic was strictly forbidden at school while the Student Body was present, they couldn't risk exposure. So either someone had broken the rule, which would explain Loewen's whereabouts, or a Vampire or other supernatural creature had broken in and was now loose in the School. Nevertheless, Rem followed the trail of magic; as it was his job to ensure the safety of the Shikou Students, as well as finding the Grimoire.

 **(Scene-Change)**

"Rem, wait up!", Ritsuka called, out of breath. She stood up properly, trying to catch her breath back, when she noticed where they were. The school's cellars. A stale smell filled her nose. Only a few boxes of junk and some cobwebs were in the dimly lit basement. There were a few windows near the ceiling, that let in pale sunlight which was the only source of light in the draughty room. "Rem…. why…. did you want to talk… here?" she looked up at him. He stood completely still, his face covered in shadows.

"Rem…?". The next moment was a blur, the shadows stopped her from locating her tracker, until she was slammed into the wall and a hand placed over her mouth. She tried to scream but only a muffled yelp came out. Rem's eyes flashed, as he came closer to her, putting his face in the light. And then she saw it. Ritsuka realized, that the Rem in front of her had the same, glassy-eyed, dead look as the masked girl back in the greenhouse. This _wasn't_ Rem, just another possessed Student.

Ritsuka pushed the Rem back and lifted her knee, hitting the boy squarely in the crotch, making him double up. She threw him backwards and ran to the other side of the room, searching for the staircase that led back up to the school. There was none to be found. She heard the other Rem getting up, and a few footsteps behind her. Waiting for the right moment, she spun around with her foot flying through the air, and hit the Rem in the face. Arms from behind grabbed her, but she squirmed enough to grab the person under their leg and throw them over her head. But the second attacker startled her, as instead of finding someone like a creepy student in a mask, it was _another_ Rem!

"What the…...? How are you doing this?", she gaped as the two, identical people scrambled to their feet. They both lunged at her, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out the hand-guard of her sword. She dodged under one Rem and swung out the handle at the other, hitting his skull with a gruesome *crunch*. He stumbled back, blood pouring from his head and fell to the floor unconscious. A shadow on the floor gave Ritsuka the sign that something very heavy was being lifted behind her, to be likely used as a weapon. She jumped back in a somersault and landed on her feet, as an antique chair flew towards her.

With a click from the mechanical lock, her Rapier sliced through the air in a majestic glory and cut the chair in half, as the split sides hit the wall behind Ritsuka. She glanced back at it in triumph, knowing how strong her sword was. A sudden force came hurling towards her, as she saw a third Rem come flying through the air with his legs outstretched, ready to kick her through the drywall at the back of the cellar. She used her arms to block the attack, but the shock sent her backwards, hitting her head on the wall and her sword out of reach. Everything felt hazy, but she could make out the blurred image of five Rems, all leering at her maliciously. Ritsuka felt the back of her head, a lump beginning to swell, with a drop of blood on her hand after she took it away.

She got to her feet, as the group began to close in. She spied her weapon on the ground, and lunged forward, and slashed at them. The group scattered in all directions. One grabbed his arms around her and picked her up from behind; Ritsuka shook her arm free and elbowed him in the face. Three attackers circled her, one stepped forward and tried to kick her in the neck, but she grabbed his foot, swung him around so he hit the other two Rems, and slammed him into the wall. Someone kicked her in the back, she stumbled forward and slashed her sword through the air, missing her target.

Ritsuka dodged a blow from one of the attackers (who had now armed themselves, with old lead pipes, metal chairs, wooden planks and old baseball bats that had been lying around in the cellar), with her sword hitting against the hefty piece of pipe that he carried with a loud *clang*, which echoed around the room and made Ritsuka's ears buzz. A different Rem stepped forward, swinging the bat at her head. She spun out of reach, so another attacker was hit by a bat. She spun about, tripping them up with her foot, then sending them crashing into the crates littered about the basement. Ritsuka grabbed a nearby glass bottle, and ran towards an attacker. She slid through his legs, tripped him up, used his shoulders as leverage and jumped into the air out of reach, while throwing the glass bottle at the Rem holding the metal chair. She hit the wall foot-first, but pushed off with perfect timing and managed to somersault onto a crate.

A wicked laugh came from one side of the room, she ran towards it, slashing at the shadows, but there was no one there. She glared about the room, but found it empty and quiet. They had just seemed to have disappeared entirely! The Vampire Huntress slowly moved forward, eyes searching the dark, ears listening for a step, a breath, anything. It was eerily quiet; Ritsuka made her way, slowly looking about in a circular motion.

In a matter of moments, with an action too quick for her to react to, her sword was flung from her hand as a glass bottle smashed against it, she was struck on the back of her head, and she found herself held above one of the Rem's heads. He effortlessly threw her, sending her flying through the air, but as she was so distracted by the Rem's sudden strength, and the very recent blow to the back of her cranium, it was only _after_ she had hit the antique mirror did she realise what had happened.

As her back collided with the glass, it had splintered into dozens of razor-sharp pieces. Ritsuka fell to the floor, and rolled over as the pieces fell on top of her form. Her head lay in a small pool of blood, as more blood came from the cuts, scratches and grazes all over her body.


End file.
